Mary Peltola
Official portrait, 2022
Assumed office May 24, 2023Preceded by Jim Costa Assumed office September 13, 2022Preceded by Don Young In office January 19, 1999 – January 19, 2009Preceded by Ivan Ivan Succeeded by Bob Herron Constituency 38th district (2003–2009) 39th district (1999–2003)
Born Mary Sattler
(1973-08-31 ) August 31, 1973 (age 50) Anchorage, Alaska , U.S.Citizenship United States Orutsararmiut Native Council Political party Democratic Spouse(s) Children 7 (3 stepchildren) Website House website
Mary Peltola on her support for S.5087, a bill to amend the Not Invisible Act of 2019 Recorded December 21, 2022
Mary Sattler Peltola (Yup'ik : Akalleq ; born August 31, 1973) is an American Democratic politician. Peltola is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alaska's at-large congressional district since 2022. She is the first woman to represent Alaska in the U.S. House and the first Alaska Native in congress .[1]
Peltola is Yup'ik from Western Alaska. She was born in Anchorage, Alaska , on August 31, 1973.[2] Her Yup'ik name is Akalleq (transl. the one who rolled ).[3] [4]
Before, she was a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009.
Peltola was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives for Alaska's at-large congressional district in the 2022 special election to fill in the vacancy of Don Young and in the November 2022 general election.[5] [6] She won the election on August 31, 2022, defeating former Governor Sarah Palin .[1]
Peltola is the first Alaska Native member of Congress and the only Russian Orthodox member of Congress.[7]
She has four biological children and three stepchildren.[8]
Her third husband, Eugene "Buzzy" Peltola Jr. , was Alaska director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs .[9] [10] He died in September 2023 after being in a plane crash.[11] [12]
↑ 1.0 1.1 Samuels, Iris (31 August 2022). "Democrat Mary Peltola wins special U.S. House election, will be first Alaska Native elected to Congress" . Anchorage Daily News . Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022 .
↑ "Mary Sattler Kapsner" . The Alaska State Legislature. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2022 .
↑ Samuels, Iris (August 8, 2022). "For two candidates, Alaska's U.S. House race is an opportunity to make history" . Anchorage Daily News . Retrieved August 27, 2023 .
↑ House Natural Resources Subcommittee for Water, Oceans, And Wildlife (2021). Written Testimony of Mary Sattler Peltola (PDF) . Alaska State Legislature. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022 .
↑ Ruskin, Liz; Media, Alaska Public (2022-04-02). "Sarah Palin among 50 candidates running to fill remainder of Don Young's term in US House" . Alaska Public Media . Retrieved 2022-04-04 .
↑ "Candidate list keeps growing with former lawmaker Mary Sattler Peltola" . Anchorage Daily News . Retrieved 2022-04-01 .
↑ Brodey, Sam (October 21, 2022). "How a Democrat Won a State With Just 12% Dem Voters" . The Daily Beast . Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022 .
↑ Ruskin, Liz (June 30, 2022). "Peltola's superpower: US House nominee disarms with unexpected niceness" . Alaska Public Media . Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022 .
↑ Wang, Jackie; Ackley, Kate (August 31, 2022). "Peltola wins Alaska special election to fill Young's House seat" . Roll Call . Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2022 .
↑ MacArthur, Anna Rose (July 10, 2018). "Gene Peltola Jr. Of Bethel Named To Alaska's Top BIA Position" . KYUK . Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2022 .
↑ AKPM Staff (September 13, 2023). "Rep. Mary Peltola's husband dies after Alaska plane crash" . Alaska Public Media . Retrieved September 14, 2023 .
↑ "Rep. Mary Peltola's husband killed in plane crash in Alaska" . Anchorage Daily News . September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023 .